Tesla
Tesla is one of the first four pinball tables available in Zen Pinball when it first released for the PlayStation 3. It is based on the inventions and works of Nikolai Tesla. Table Overview The table and cabinet are designed with a wooden casing to reflect the antique time setting of Tesla's works, and contains many metal moving parts and intricate electrical systems. The upper half of the table At the back end of the table, there is a clock that operates when a main mission ("experiment") is in progress, counting down before it ends in failure. Next to that clock is a Tesla coil, and to the back right corner of the table, there is an elevated mini-playfield with five targets. Once those targets are knocked down with the ball, propelled with electromagnetic force instead of the flippers, the ball can travel up to one of two habitrails: a left habitrail leading to a scoop that dumps the ball back down the left orbit, or a right habitrail leading all the way down back to the right inlane. The table is framed by a large orbit that the ball needs to travel en route to reaching the mini-playfield, accessed by a timed shot of a mini-flipper positioned in the left orbit that brings the ball inside a habitrail that pops the ball into the mini-playfield. Above that flipper is a flag that can be spun with the ball, and if the ball is shot through it with sufficient force, it is magnetically trapped beside a wheel that rotates clockwise briefly, before either releasing it back down the left orbit (for an easier mini-flipper shot) or dropping it into a sinkhole for the cannon to launch it back into play. Besides the flag, there is a steam diverter ramp that either leads to the mini-flipper or down to the right inlane. Along the crosspath leading into the mini-playfield, there is a coil ramp that leads down to the left inlane. Below the coil part of that ramp, there is a bumper area, with each of the four bumpers shaped like an electric light bulb. The bottom one has two targets facing the player that when struck will cause that bumper to lower, allowing a clear shot at a sinkhole behind the three other bulbs. Besides this retractable bumper is another sinkhole. There is also another diverter ramp beside the right orbit that leads to either inlane. The lower half of the table To the left side of the table, there is also a steam-powered cannon that can launch the ball back into play after certain actions or events. The ball can be locked inside the cannon once two targets blocking the way in are hit. On the opposite side of the table, there are two targets that when knocked down will bring the ball back inside the landing area of the plunger mechanism. In the dead space in between these two, there is a ring-shaped magnetic field, as well as an analog gauge that determines which experiment is being targeted and which one(s) have already been completed. Two rebounds wrapped in copper wire are also present, as well as a total of four return lanes, spelling the word "FUSE". The left outlane has a diverter mechanism that may occasionally return the ball back into the left inlane during certain events, while the right outlane is guarded by the table's lone kickback. A magna-save system is present that can protect the ball from draining if it is timed correctly. The plunger The plunger is a straight shaft with a brief ramp that will catapult the ball (which is shot into play via a spring-loaded plunger) into either one of three holes, depending on the strength of the plunger. The three holes lead down a ramp that drops the ball into play, with the middle one constituting a skill shot. Objective and Missions The goal of the table is to help Nikolai Tesla complete several experiments so that in doing so, he could unearth more crucial discoveries about technology at his time. To start an experiment, the player must bring the ball into the mini-playfield, then use electromagnetic force (which can only be used 10 times per mini-playfield entry) to push the ball up the field and knock down five targets, then shoot the left habitrail behind the collapsed targets that will drop the ball into a scoop. If the ball is launched into the opposite habitrail instead, this will change the current target mission. Once a mission is completed, the player must take the ball back into the mini-playfield, hit the right habitrail to cycle to the next mission, then bring the ball to the mini-playfield once more and hit the left habitrail behind the targets to start the next mission. The following five missions must be completed to access the wizard mode: *'Induction': Tesla discovers that electricity can be generated through a process known as induction. To complete this procedure, the player must shoot and spin the flag to power a generator that would induce the needed voltage of 10,000, against a time limit that resets every time 2,000 volts of power are generated. If time expires, the generator's power drops back to 2,000 volts, and if such level of voltage was less than 4,000, the experiment will fail. *'Transmission': Help Tesla set up the electrodes so that electricity can flow through them proper. The player helps out by arranging the electrodes through shooting each diverter ramp an odd number of times (1, 3, 5, et cetera), then shooting the coil ramp once to initiate the transmission sequence, within a time limit. *'Chain Reaction': Generate the chain reactions in electrons that make electricity possible. The player must hit three magnetized balls that slowly and erratically move across the playfield, one by one, then gather all four balls at a centralized magnetic point in the playfield. Once this mission is complete, all balls will drain and the flippers are disabled, and a new ball will be shot into play. *'Lightning': Tesla can generate lightning from his signature coil invention. The player accomplishes this by shooting the coil ramp three times in immediate succession, with no more than 10 seconds allotted in between ramp shots. *'Teleautomation': Restore the automatic flow of electricity by shooting all four possible diverting paths of the two diverter ramps within a time limit. The diverters will alternate automatically, making it paramount to time shots carefully to accomplish the goal quickly. Wizard mode After all five experiments are completed successfully, the player can access the wizard mode, titled Teleforce, which begins when the ball is locked into the lab sinkhole behind the bumpers. The player is given a time limit to shoot the orbit in either direction multiple times, while being aware of the large magnetic ring in the dead space of the playfield that can manipulate the ball trajectory. Side Modes There are two side modes that are activated by hitting two targets at either side of the table, then shooting the ball into the hole they are blocking. *'Cannon Shot': Hitting the two bank targets at the left wall of the table will open up a path to the steam cannon, which will shoot the ball back into play. Five shots of the cannon will award an extra ball. *'Funding Hurry-Up': Tesla needs money to make sure he can continue his experiments. Hitting the two bank targets at the right wall of the table will open up a path back into the plunger landing area. Bringing the ball there will start a hurry up mode where the player must shoot the center sink hole in front of the bumpers as a large score, representing the money he needs, dwindles rapidly. Then, the player must execute a skill shot to finish the mode successfully and earn points based on how fast the ball was shot into the sinkhole. Multiball There are two multiball modes that can be activated. Doing so opens up the opportunity to collect jackpots, and activates a ball saver. *'Steam Frenzy Multiball': A quick multiball that starts when both ramps are hit twice within a brief amount of time. Then, a second ball will be launched into the playfield. Shooting any lane will award jackpots, but a larger score can be earned by unblocking the lab sinkhole behind the bumpers and shooting a ball there. *'Secret Lab Multiball': Gain access to Tesla's secret lab where many things work at once! Open the secret lab by knocking down the collapsible bumper through hitting its twin targets, so that the lab sinkhole behind the bumpers is unblocked. A ball can then be locked there, and once all three are locked in this manner, the multiball will begin. The player can then shoot any of the three ramps on the table for jackpots, but can repeat the ball locking process to claim a super jackpot. Perks The following perks can be activated to aid the player: *'Stabilizer Kickback': Spelling FUSE on the return rollovers activates the spring-loaded electric stabilizer kickback that guards the right outlane. There is no kickback for the left outlane. Once activated, this kickback remains available until it is used. *'Dynamo Ball Saver': Shooting the dynamo flag 25 times in a single shot will activate the Ball Saver, which also activates at the start of a multiball mode or immediately after the ball is shot into play. If the ball is drained while the saver is active, the steam cannon will shoot the ball back into play, where it will usually land on the right flipper. *'Magna Save': Utilize the power of magnets to save the ball from draining. Shooting the coil ramp three times will activate the magna save, which can then be used to fish the ball from the outlanes or outhole should it fall there if timed properly. Only one magna-save can be kept for later, and it will be forfeited if the ball is drained. *'Score Multiplier': Hitting the bumpers many times will raise the score multiplier, which is only good for the current ball. *'Extra Ball': Extra balls can be awarded by raising the multiplier past 10x, making 5 cannon shots or successfully completing experiments a total of 12 times. Extra Balls are claimed by shooting the sinkhole in front of the bumpers. Tips *The ball saver is easy to activate; simply shoot the dynamo flag 25 times in a single shot. *Try to utilize the few, but multiple ways to get the ball to the mini-flipper: shooting the left steam ramp, shooting the dynamo flag so that the ball is trapped and dropped down the left orbit or shooting the right orbit with enough strength so that the ball goes there. The harder part is to figure out when to operate the mini-flipper to bring the ball inside the mini-playfield; this can eventually be determined with practice. *It is easy to activate the kickback and it persists between balls, so be sure to turn it on just in case it is needed. *Shooting the dynamo flag will trap the ball in front of a magnetic disk, which will always move the ball to an easily predictable location. Use this to your advantage. External links *Official table trailer *Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF) Category:Zen Originals tables